Education Transformation Office (ETO) 8 th Grade Unit # 6 Assessment 1. Which of the following types of organisms mostly likely occupies the location marked X in the food web below? A. Primary consumer B. Secondary consumer C. Producer D. Decomposer 2. Wolves were introduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1955. Within 2 years the population of coyotes decreased by 50%. Coyotes could be found in all habitats within the park before the wolves were introduced, but now they are only found in the mountains and hills. Which of the following describes the role of the vole in this ecosystem? A. Decomposer B. Primary Consumer C. Secondary Consumer D. Tertiary Consumer 3. A hurricane sweeps through a small Caribbean island, killing most of the herbivores. What will be the most immediate impact on the ecosystem? A. An acceleration of the carbon cycle B. An increase in the predator populations C. A decrease in the decomposer populations D. An increase in producers 4. The heath hen, an extinct small wild bird, was a relative of the prairie chicken. This bird lived in fields and laid its eggs in small nests on the ground. Shopping centers and homes have been built in the fields they inhabited. Which limiting factor was most likely caused the extinction of the heath hen. A. Plentiful food supply B. Stable climate C. Habitat loss D. Abundant nesting sites Page 1 U nit #5 Assessment
5. The life cycle of a mosquito depends on the availability of standing or slow-moving water, that they can lay their eggs in. If there is a lower-than-normal number of mosquitoes present in one area, which limiting factor is most likely the cause? A. a severe drought B. an abnormally warm winter C. a reduction in pesticide usage D. a decline in populations of predators, such as insect-eating birds 6. Pythons are large snakes that can consume large prey. Pythons have become a problem in the everglades because they consume native deer and other large mammals. A public awareness campaign is trying to educate pet owners about the importance of not releasing unwanted snakes in the everglades. What limiting factor do such efforts seek to counteract? A. Disease B. Predation C. Habitat loss D. Shelter 7. Certain trees, such as the dogwood, are commonly inhabited by a fungus that consumes their leaves. Which of the following best describes the relationship between the tree and the fungus? A. Commensalism B. Parasitism C. Mutualism D. Competition 8. During its annual migration the red knot, a medium-sized shorebird flies the entire length of North and South America. During the migration they stop to feed on the eggs of horseshoe crabs. The relationship between the red knot and the horseshoe crab would be considered A. Commensalism B. Parasitism C. Predation D. Competition 9. Sometimes when a crocodile keeps its mouth open for a long period of time, a bird called the Egyptian plover will fly into the mouth of the crocodile. The plover will eat food stuck between the teeth of the crocodile, without getting hurt. The crocodile benefits by having its teeth cleaned, and the plover benefits by receiving food. Which of the relationships described below is most similar to the relationship between the crocodile and the plover? A. A type of bird in Africa eats blood-sucking insects off large mammals. B. Foxes and eagles live in the same habitat and have similar types of prey, such as squirrels, in common. C. Ticks are small blood-sucking insects that typically feed off small mammals. D. Clownfish take shelter in the tentacles of poisonous sea anemones, but are unharmed by the anemone because they are immune to its poison. The anemone is not affected by having the clownfish hide among its tentacles. Page 2 U nit #5 Assessment
10. Orchids, a tropical flower species, grow on tree trunks and branches of large trees. An orchid benefits from being on a tree because it is able to easily absorb water in minerals that run down the tree when it rains. The tree is not affected by having the orchid growing on it. This is an example of what type of relationship? A. Competition B. Parasitism C. Mutualism D. Commensalism 11. Hippopotamuses are extremely territorial. Males will mark their territory along the riverbank and defend it vigorously. Their canine teeth can grow to be two feet long and they can open their mouths four feet wide. They can kill crocodiles and lions that come into their territory and are responsible for more human deaths than any other African animal. Which of the following relationships is least similar to the relationship described above? A. Cheetahs and lions feed on similar prey and lions are known for trying to steal prey killed by cheetahs. As a result, cheetahs are often seen taking the animals they have killed up into trees. B. In forest where space is limited, some species of trees grow rapidly so that they can tower over other trees and absorb the most sunlight. C. The snapper turtle uses its tongue, which looks like a worm, to attract smaller fish. When a small fish comes close the turtle snaps its mouth closed and swallows the fish whole. D. Near ponds, the sound of frogs croaking can often be heard. Male frogs each have a unique sound that they make and female are attracted to the males who make the best call. 12. Without chlorophyll a plant would not be able to A. Absorb water B. Absorb nutrients from the soil C. Capture sunlight in it s leaves D. Release carbon dioxide 13. The numbers in the diagram represent substances involved in the processes shown. Which of the following matches the numbers with correct labels? A. 1 Oxygen, 2 Water, 3 Carbon Dioxide, 4 Glucose B. 1 Oxygen, 2 Water, 3 Glucose, 4 Carbon Dioxide C. 1 Water, 2 Oxygen, 3 Carbon Dioxide, 4 Glucose D. 1 Water, 2 Oxygen, 3 Glucose, 4 Carbon Dioxide Page 3 U nit #5 Assessment
14. The equation below shows the chemical reaction for photosynthesis. What is missing from this equation? Carbon Dioxide + + Sunlight Oxygen + Glucose A. Sugar B. Water C. Soil D. Energy 15. All organisms contain carbon and oxygen. Both of these elements are also found in Earth s atmosphere. Which of the following processes releases oxygen into the atmosphere? A. The Carbon Cycle B. Photosynthesis C. Decomposition D. Cellular Respiration 16. Cyanide is a powerful poison because it prevents the cellular respiration reaction from occurring in cells. This poison would affect the production of which of the following molecules? A. Carbon Dioxide B. Glucose C. Oxygen D. Sugar 17. Use the information and the graph below to answer the following question: A group of students measured the volume of air they exhaled during three different activities: sitting, walking, and running. The data the students collected is summarized in the graph below. Running produced the greatest volume of exhaled air. This is because increased activity causes muscle cells to need more energy. To produce more energy, the rate of cellular respiration in cells must increase. Which of the following statements is true? A. Sitting does not require oxygen. B. Walking requires less glucose than sitting C. Walking produces more oxygen than sitting D. Running produces more carbon dioxide than walking Page 4 U nit #5 Assessment
18. The diagram below shows part of the carbon cycle. Use the diagram to answer the following question: Which of the following would lead to an increase in Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere? A. A decrease in respiration B. An increase in photosynthesis C. An increase in the burning of fossil fuels D. A decrease in deforestation, resulting in more forests worldwide 19. In the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is converted into animal tissues through which process? A. Pollution B. Decomposition C. Photosynthesis D. Cellular respiration 20. In one of the steps of the carbon cycle, a person exhales a molecule of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. What is most likely to happen to the carbon in this molecule next? A. It may become part of a sugar molecule in a plant B. It may become part of an animal s tissues C. It may be used as energy as a fossil fuel is burned D. It may be decomposed by a bacterium 21. Which of these statements best represents the law of conservation of energy? A. Potential energy can be completely converted to other forms of energy. B. The total energy in a system decreases over time. C. Energy is being created in the universe every day. D. The energy used up by organisms can be lost. 22. The law of conservation of mass is correctly explained in which statement about the process of cellular respiration? Glucose + Oxygen Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy A. The mass of glucose is equal to the total mass of the water molecules. B. The total mass of glucose and oxygen is equal to the total mass of carbon dioxide and water. C. The mass of the oxygen is conserved in the mass of the water in the products. D. The total mass of oxygen is conserved in the total mass of carbon dioxide produced. Page 5 U nit #5 Assessment
23. Plants make up a large percentage of all the organisms in an ecosystem. Dead plants are broken down and become part of the soil. When this happens, what happens the overall mass and energy available in the ecosystem? A. The amount of mass and energy in the ecosystem decreases. B. The amount of mass and energy in the ecosystem increases. C. The amount of mass in the ecosystem decreases, but the energy increases. D. The amount of mass and energy remains constant but is converted into different forms. 24. In an experiment to study decomposition, a group of students created a compost bin filled with soil. At the beginning of the experiment the students weighed the bin and found that it had a mass of 100 grams. The students placed 5 banana peels in the bin and covered it. One month later they opened the bin and found that the banana peels were no longer there because they had completely decomposed. The students weighed the bin again and found that the bin still weighed 100 grams. What conclusion can be made from this experiment? A. A phase change took place B. Matter was destroyed C. Matter was conserved D. New elements were formed Page 6 U nit #5 Assessment